we know the rules
how fast to run
how cold to keep the food
which kids to shun
the ones who teach
who keep us in our lines
took all my joy
left me far behind
but now i've said too much
and you complain to me
so i replace the gag
instead of set you free
i dig the graves
to set the bodies in
then shake the hands
of those i'm burying
now my whole life
is vengeance with a smile
secrets encased in salt
to burn as they defile
until the day will come
that i feel whole again
taking my place beside
all of the other men
misunderstood and feared
like the language of a spell
baptized right from day one
into the fire of hell
rethink this plan of action
i'm no good dealing with attraction
you're impossible, my mission impossible
and possibly you are just the thing i need
don't think that i'm reserved
i'm just afraid of what i deserve
you're unstoppable, bullet-type unstoppable
your muzzle flash is constant in my eyes
you are so dangerous
pure thrill-high adrenalin rush
and i'm on the edge of being
in love with danger
if i make a decision
in this state it's a wrong decision
you're a miracle, a patient miracle
i'm just the skeptic you've been looking for
don't make me make a scene
i'm no good at being that mean
you're unforgettable, forgot you were unforgettable
i wish i could forget how much you meant
manic
you can't hear this violence
you don't know its tongue
i am fluent in autumn
and learning to speak winter
sunlight is a map that
blinds you to the true path
darkness is a guide with
a compass for a soul
we try twice as hard
why try anything hard
run from what you asked for
hide for what it's worth
the time is ticking anyway
shedding skin in seconds
sleeping just beneath you
within you, it cries
ready to assassinate your
guardian angel
we try twice as hard
why try anthing hard
take in all you've urned
die each time you kiss
remember the taste for all
of your days
splinter from their steel
stop pretending to breathe
close your eyes again
fall away
we try twice as hard
why try anything hard
why try anything
why try
why
/manic by design
what is it about the human condition that makes us want to write it all down and label it and define the labels and use so many words to fill in the blanks that didn't even exist before there were pens and circle the point with flowery language and grassy language and arid, barren deserts of language and scream and sing and whisper and howl and sign and toast and mumble and stammer and stutter and misinterpret and misinform and miss the point and lie and exclude the truth and tell the truth and be too honest and start diaries and take notes and log journals and write songs and plays and tickets and receipts and bills and checks and birthday cards and obituaries and articles and columns and advertisements and letters of resignation and cover letters and dear john letters and varsity letters and applications and essays and poems and stories and screenplays and tattoos, but won't allow us to understand each other?
if you haven't yet, go read A Confederate General From Big Sur by Richard Brautigan
in your eyes i see the doorway to a thousand churches
your voice like the sound of sirens to a house on fire, you're saving me
i can feel her heart beat from a thousand miles
i'd walk through fire for you and burn in hell to make it all true
doesn't really matter if i live or die, the only thing that matters is you by my side
who would've thought that dreams come true, and who would have thought i'd ended up with you
i hate the buttons on your shirt when all i want to do is tear
getting lost in you again is better than being numb
you're the closest to heaven that i'll ever be
maybe you're gonna be the one that saves me
don't be shy baby, don't be careful with me
tell me what my hands were made for, tell me who my mouth was made for
i get nervous when she comes around
she's got a light around her and everywhere she goes a million dreams of love surround her
yours are the sweetest eyes i've ever seen
i want a woman, i want a lover, i want a friend
